86% of US employees reported overall satisfaction with their current job in 2014, the highest level of satisfaction in the last 10 years. Two of the top contributors were respectful treatment of everyone at all levels, and trust between employees and senior management.

Many companies have or are considering diverse candidate slate recruiting requirements and yet most have been uncertain of their effectiveness. Researchers at University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business showed that diverse candidate slates work when there are 2 or more women or minorities as finalists. When there is just 1 woman or minority candidate in a pool of 3 to 11 finalists, their odds of being hired were statistically zero. When 2 or more women are present, their odds of being hired is 79 times greater. When there are 2 or minorities present, their odds of being hired are 193 times greater.

Dr. Marianne Cooper contests the methodology and conclusion of a study that stated, “… likeability and success actually go together remarkably well for women.” As a sociologist at the Clayman Center for Gender Research at Stanford University and lead researcher for the book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg, Cooper asserts that social science research repeatedly finds that women face distinct social penalties for doing the very things leading to success because those traits violate gender stereotypes.

As Silicon Valley struggles to bring more women into its ranks, a handful of tech giants, including PayPal, Intel and IBM, are tapping into the pool of women with short and long career gaps. "Returnship" programs designed to make it easy for them to transition back into the industry employ flexible and reasonable work hours that can accommodate women with families, multiple mentors and training across a broad range of topics.

Though many women leave tech to start families, a high percentage leave due to aggressions they experience. This can range from lack of career advancement opportunities to sexual harassment in the workplace, which 60 percent of women who have spent more than 10 years in tech have encountered, according to a recent study. This is why 56 percent of women in tech leave the industry — an attrition rate double that of their male counterparts, according to research by the Harvard Business School.

The authors looked at performance review for 3 high-tech companies and a professional services firm, finding that women consistently received less feedback tied to business outcomes, which correlated with lower performance review ratings. Their deeper analysis of more than 200 performance reviews showed that women receive vague praise 57% of the time compared to 43% of the time of the men. Examining communication skills, vital for leaders, 76% of references to being “too aggressive” happened in women’s reviews, versus 24% in men’s. Furthermore, their research indicated that “protective hesitation” — the failure to give feedback due to worry that the recipient might be upset — is a critical barrier in having conversations necessary to advance women’s careers.

Simard and Correll also offer 5 “micro-sponsorship” actions that disuprt these unconscious feedback biases and provide pathways for women to advance.

Before you begin evaluations, either written or verbal, outline and prioritize the specific criteria you are employing to evaluate individuals.

Set a goal to discuss three specific business outcomes with all employees.

Systematically tie feedback — either positive or developmental — to business and goals outcomes.

When evaluating people in similar roles, equalize references to technical accomplishments and capability.